Strange names like '@' enter Chinese language

BEIJING: There might be millions of characters in the Chinese language, but English letters and even symbols are increasingly being used as names in China.

In one of the strangest names, parents tried to call their son "@", while other people have used transliterated English names to make their own sound more western, The First newspaper reported.

The newspaper quoted State Language Commission deputy chief Li Yuming as saying that new concepts and the popularisation of the Internet have quickly stepped up the need for new words in the Chinese language.

The popularisation of mixing English into Chinese has led authorities to consider the need of standardising some of their usage, Professor Hou Min at the China Media University told the newspaper.

With more opportunities to watch western films, buy foreign goods and travel abroad, most young people in China regard it as trendy and fun to adopt western lifestyle and habits.

But Li of the State Language Commission said the boy named "@" had one of the most unique titles. His parents wanted to call him "@" because a loose Chinese translation means "love him".

It was not clear whether the boy kept the name.